


Down for the count

by Halfspell



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Humor, brief mention of other Avengers - Freeform, poor steve, silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-09-03
Packaged: 2018-12-23 13:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11990994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halfspell/pseuds/Halfspell
Summary: No one ever expects Captain America to go down for the count.





	Down for the count

No one ever expects Captain America to go down for the count. But when he does, he goes down hard and not in the way most people would expect.

It could have been in the line of duty, except that it wasn't. In the field, there are precautions built into his suit, padding and support sewn and stitched into certain areas specifically engineered to prevent things like this from happening. They're called 'boots'.

When it happens, it happens in tennis shoes, stupid canvas sneakers and on a peaceful if hot New York morning.

Rush hour had just started, horns honking in a bleary morning chorus signalling the start of a sunrise ritual as time honored as jaw cracking yawns or curses flung at alarm clocks. The noise was just starting to float over the trees, faint and grouchy, passing over the heads of Central Park joggers, strung out like sweaty beads on the jogging path. No one paid any attention to anyone else, everyone was in their own little bubble, as if they were the only one awake that morning. It was the best time for people watching, Steve felt, running and watching glazed eyed joggers go by, heads nodding to the music funnelled into their brains by white cords. It was so facinating and no one else seemed to notice, that Steve had to wonder if people really just didn't care or if they were just that oblivious.

When his face hit the sidewalk a moment later, he realized it was because they're too busy watching the ground to watch each other.

The pebble was ordinary, gray and round and unremarkable except for the fact that it was there, right where Steve's foot was aiming to be. And it would have been okay if he had come down squarely on it, only he didn't, so his foot rolled and his not inconsiderable weight came down like a ton of bricks, all onto his ankle. All of Steve's super human grace and balance deserted him in a wild moment of flailing arms and surprised yelling and when he finally came to rest face first on the ground, Steve just put his arms over his head and lay there. The agents who tailed him every morning came running up, barking orders into their bluetooth phone things like the world was gearing up to end. Joggers shot him curious and slightly alarmed looks as they trotted past.

It was a wonder that the pavement didn't met under his face, he was blushing so hotly.

In the end, Steve needed help limping into the car sent for him, which was unusual enough that it distracted him from the fact that he kissed pavement because of a pebble. It wasn't much better when they got to SHIELD, nor when he was carted up to medical in the embarrassing wheelchair that was waiting for him. An hour later, a very patient doctor was telling him "You rolled your ankle, Captain," and shrugging.

Fury wasn't quite so magnanamous about it. There was thirty minutes of sarcastic, snarky and sharp ranting that boiled down to "You're an idiot, Cap, and now you're out for a couple of weeks and be thankful because most people would be out the whole season." Only with more glaring and really, the eyepatch matched with the scowling was really creepy.

Still, you had to hand it to the man. He was the only one gutsy enough to call Captain America an idiot.

Outside of his own team members, that is.

While Steve lay there, foot propped up and swathed in stretchy beige bandages, Clint and Tony fell over one another, chortling and taking turns searching for Youtube videos on their phones of Steve face planting and making him watch. The pair were incomprehensible with laughter, tears running down their faces. Natasha smirked, gaze darting between Steve and the laughing idiots and Bruce snickered quietly, prodding at Steve's toes occasionally, and even Thor laughed at some of the better videos. The ones with sound, at least. The looks from Coulson were frankly disbelieving and disappointed, as if Steve had told him there was no Santa Claus.

Steve honestly considered smothering himself under his own pillows. It was going to be a long couple of weeks.


End file.
